One of the world's most sought-after architects, Spanish-born Santiago Calatrava is the mastermind behind some of the most magnificent structures around the globe. Inspired by the human body and natural world, his works mimic the shapes and motions of organic entities, at times suggesting flight or spiritual uplift. This exquisite volume not only presents the architect's most breathtaking masterpieces in architecture and engineering, drawing, and sculpture, but for the first time reveals his humanist spirit and eclectic intellectual curiosity, and allows us to discover his references, influences, and inspirations. From an opera house in his hometown of Valencia, Spain, to the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, or the famous Turning Torso skyscraper in Sweden, Calatrava's legacy as one of the foremost figures in contemporary architecture is undeniable. AUTHOR: Spanish-born Cristina Carrillo de Albornoz Fisac is an independent art curator and critic as well as an author. Her work has also been featured in publications including The Art Newspaper, The European, The Observer, Beaux Arts, Architectural Digest Spain, La Reppublica, and the Spanish, Italian, German, and Mexican editions of Vogue. She has curated exhibitions on Balthus, Botero, Wim Wenders, and Frank Stella and has written on subjects that range from Balthus, Fernando Botero, and Wim Wenders to Mahatma Gandhi and Satyajit Ray. In 2012 she curated a retrospective exhibition on Santiago Calatrava at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. 180 illustrations 4 gatefolds